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It’s a dark week for DC fans, who had been clinging on to the hopes that Justice League may not be the total disaster it seemed perpetually destined to be. But as the dust settles on yet another brand misfire, audiences will likely be left with a few lingering questions when it comes to the film’s numerous revelations and plot twists.

Being DC, it remains a question mark as to whether many of the hints and cameos scattered through Justice League will pay off in any real way, particularly in light of a mandate suggesting a future universe more driven by standalone stories than Marvel-aping crossovers.

But until then, here’s everything you need to know about Justice League’s biggest shockers.

The post-credits sequence hints at the Injustice League

After the end credits have rolled, we learn that Lex Luthor (played by Jesse Eisenberg) has escaped Arkham Asylum and is currently travelling the seas on a luxury yacht. Here he greets the mercenary and assassin Deathstroke and informs him that he would like to recruit him for a “league of our own”.

Deathstroke as he appears in the comic booksCredit:
Shane Davis/DC Comics

The scene appears to hint at the formation of the Injustice League, a doppelganger version of our heroes, which has featured an array of villainous members in its comic book history, including The Joker, Catwoman, Bane, Sinestro and Deathstroke himself.

Deathstroke is played in the film by former True Blood actor Joe Manganiello, who was previously announced as having joined the cast of the DC Universe back in 2016.

News at the time suggested he was to be the villain in the forthcoming The Batman movie, but with that film having undergone significant behind-the-scenes upheaval (including Ben Affleck stepping down as writer and director and his original script being scrapped), it is unknown whether Manganiello will still appear in it.

There’s some teasing of the Aquaman movie

Swimming by for a quick cameo is Amber Heard as Mera, queen of the sea and love interest for Aquaman. She shows off some water powers, gives Aquaman a pep talk and encourages him to partner with the Justice League. It’s a brief and, being totally honest, not altogether necessary aside in the film, but does act as a preview for the Aquaman movie, which hits cinemas in December 2018.

Missing from Justice League, despite speculation he may appear, is Willem Dafoe, who portrays Aquaman’s chief science advisor Nuidis Vulko in next year’s movie. It is currently unknown if Dafoe had filmed scenes that were left on the cutting room floor.

Several Green Lanterns show up in a cameo

Don’t get too excited, there are no starry names attached to the brief Green Lantern cameo in the film. Rather an array of unknown actors portraying various members of the Green Lantern Corps during a flashback sequence taking place during a battle on Themyscira. The scene ends with one of the Green Lanterns dying and his power ring flying off his finger and up into the sky.

Also appearing in the flashback is Robin Wright as Diana’s aunt and mentor, who was disappointingly killed off after making such a striking impression in Wonder Woman.

It confirms a Superman/Aquaman fan theory

During 2013’s Man of Steel, Clark Kent is flung into the sea following an explosion on an oil rig, and appears to be miraculously rescued by a pair of whales. Considering Aquaman has magical whale-controlling powers, fans have long suspected that he may have had a hand in saving Clark’s life.

Justice League partly confirms this, with Aquaman telling Bruce Wayne that he has “crossed paths” with Superman in the past. Actor Jason Momoa expanded on this in an interview with DC All Access, revealing that director Zack Snyder told him of the pair’s shared history.

There is no Black Superman suit

With Superman killed off at the very end of Dawn of Justice, many speculated that his resurrection in Justice League could be an elaborate ruse, especially when Henry Cavill teased a black Superman suit on Instagram last year.

A black Superman suit is typically the outfit of choice for Brutaal, a Superman clone created by supervillain Darkseid. But while Darkseid is referenced in Justice League by his underling Steppenwolf, any reference to his involvement in Superman’s resurrection is left out, while the black Superman suit fails to make an appearance.

Considering it definitely exists and was presumably worn by Henry Cavill on set, it’s fair to assume a significant subplot was cut from the finished film.

No, Henry Cavill’s face hasn’t become inexplicably deformed since his last Superman movie

Of the many distracting moments of dodgy CGI in Justice League, few come more ludicrous than Henry Cavill’s mouth, which appears in several scenes to have been stuck on.

As confirmed in July, Cavill’s facial hair had to be digitally scrubbed for reshoots, after his contract for the forthcoming Mission: Impossible 5 stipulated he could under no circumstances remove the mustache he had grown for his role. But the question remains: could they really not make it less weird-looking?